AECC's green engines shine at AERO Asia in Zhuhai

Cutting-edge eco-friendly aviation engines, particularly those developed by Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), are highlighting China's breakthroughs in hybrid and hydrogen propulsion at the ongoing 2025 AERO Asia show in Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province.

Among the highlights were 29 newly developed propulsion products, displayed in the AECC pavilion, including megawatt-level hybrid and fully electric power systems.

"This is our latest megawatt-class hybrid system, developed for future 3-ton to 8-ton eVTOL aircraft and 10-ton to 20-ton distributed electric propulsion planes. What you're looking at is a 1:3 scale model, demonstrating how the system will be applied to eVTOL aircraft in the future," said Sun Jingchen, a representative from AECC.

Another innovation drawing attention was AECC's hydrogen-powered turbine engine, which, unlike traditional designs, does not consume a single drop of fossil fuel.

"This is our megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turbine engine. Burning one kilogram of aviation fuel produces three kilograms of carbon dioxide, whereas using hydrogen as the power source for a turbine engine results in zero carbon emissions. The development process was extremely challenging, as it overturns many traditional concepts. The encouraging news is that this engine has already become the first in China to meet full performance standards and has successfully completed a 60-hour continuous endurance test," said Sun.

AECC's technological advances are also generating commercial interest.

"At this airshow, we will sign cooperation agreements or letters of intent with 17 clients, with the total value exceeding 1 billion yuan (1.41 billion U.S. dollars)," said Hu Yexin, director of the Southern General Aviation power division of the AECC.

The AERO Asia show, which opened Thursday and runs through November 30, has attracted over 380 companies from 22 countries. With a focus on innovation in low-altitude flight and general aviation, this year's theme is "A New Era: Explore More".

AECC's green engines shine at AERO Asia in Zhuhai

China has established more than 5,500 green mines at or above the provincial level, marking positive progress in the country's green mining development, an official from the Ministry of Natural Resources said at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday ahead of this year's World Earth Day.

According to Dong Qingji, deputy director general of the Ministry of Natural Resources' department of mineral resources protection and supervision, green mining requirements have been written into the Mineral Resources Law and the Ecological Environment Code, providing strong legal backing. A working system featuring government guidance, departmental coordination, enterprise leadership and public supervision is now largely in place.

China is accelerating the construction of green mines and will organize the selection of a new batch of national-level green mines. Currently, there are over 1,000 national-level green mines and more than 4,500 provincial-level green mines in the country.

Looking ahead, the ministry will continue to promote the construction and operation of all newly built mines in accordance with green mine standards, while speeding up the green transformation and upgrading of existing operating mines. For mines that have not yet initiated green transition, they are required to launch green mine construction as soon as possible, fulfill their obligations for ecological restoration in mining areas, and strengthen ecological restoration and governance in these areas.

China builds over 5,500 green mines, advances sustainable mining